Jobless rates dip in metro areas

Published December 30, 2015 by Robert Powell, III

Unemployment rates continued declining in Virginia’s largest urban areas in November, with six of 11 boasting numbers under 4 percent.

Virginia Employment Commission statistics reported on Wednesday showed that all of the commonwealth’s metropolitan statistical areas saw declines in unemployment last month.

Northern Virginia had the lowest jobless rate, 3.2 percent, while Hampton Roads had the highest. 4.5 percent.

The numbers in the report are not seasonally adjusted, meaning they do not take into account seasonal fluctuations in the labor market.

In addition to Northern Virginia, the other five metro areas with rates under 4 percent included Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Roanoke, Staunton-Waynesboro and Winchester.

Charlottesville had the biggest drop in its rate, three-tenths of a percentage point. The rest of the declines were in the one-tenth to two-tenths of percentage point range.

For comparison, the seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate for Virginia in November was 4 percent while the national jobless rate was 4.8 percent.

The seasonally adjusted numbers for November are 4.2 percent for the commonwealth and 5 percent for the U.S.

A breakdown on the metro areas shows:

Bristol: 4.4 percent in November, down from 4.5 percent in October.
Charlottesville: 3.3 percent, down from 3.6 percent.
Hampton Roads: 4.5 percent, down from 4.6 percent.
Harrisonburg: 3.9 percent, down from 4.1 percent.
Lynchburg: 4.3 percent, down from 4.5 percent.
New River Valley (Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford): 4 percent, down from 4.2 percent.
Northern Virginia: 3.2 percent, down from 3.4 percent.
Richmond: 4.2 percent, down from 4.3 percent.
Roanoke: 3.9 percent, down from 4.1 percent.
Staunton-Waynesboro:  3.9 percent, down from 4.1 percent.
Winchester: 3.6 percent, down from 3.7 percent.